Customer Comments
Click on the topic headings or browse the list below to see what
our customers say about JUST GRANTS! Arizona
resources and services. If you'd like to share a comment, idea or
suggestion, please email us.
Thanks -- we appreciate your feedback!
General
JUST GRANTS! Arizona Website
Free Grants E-Newsletter
Arizona Guide to Grants & Giving
Workshops for Grantseekers
UofA/JGA Grantsmanship Institute
General
Brent and I took The Grantsmanship Game Workshop from you in September [27-28, 2005] in Flagstaff. We were the couple, seated to your left, from Kingman.
During the workshop, my husband discussed the fact that a grant opportunity had been presented to us, but the due date was October 7th. The deadline meant we had less than a week to write it. Well ... we were so inspired and energized by you and the information that we received that we went back and got approval from the superintendent to pursue it. We wrote the AIMS/Dropout Prevention grant that weekend, using all of your materials. We spent the following week finalizing it and getting all the budget details. Finally, we ended our experience by doing the overnight mailing:-)
We received word today [Nov. 8, 2005] that our grant was funded for the full amount ... $110, 111.78!!!! Needless to say, we are excited. Not only will our programs benefit, but on a personal note, we will also be rewarded monetarily. As a part of the grant, we wrote for a part-time career counselor and program director. Together we will gain an additional $28,000 on top of our current salary. Moreover, we are eligible to apply for the grant again and our hopes are to expand our program with the program director becoming a full time position.
We seriously could not have done it without you. Please feel free to share our story with your participants and to contact us should you need further information. We just cannot thank you enough.
-- Jen and Brent Potter
Kingman Schools
Nov. 12, 2005
I'm working at a friend's computer in Louisiana, and I just had to tell you that your work with the newsletter and the Arizona Guide to Grants and Giving is nationally famous! I attended two different grant training sessions sponsored by Houghton Mifflin in New Orleans, and their speakers referred to your work as the main reliable source of grant information in the state of Arizona! Good for you! And good for us who benefit from the networking resources you provide!
-- Lori Collins Walk
Glendale Elementary School District
Feb. 20, 2002
Wanted to drop a short note to say "Thank You" for the web site, the information, and the Arizona Guide to Grants & Giving. Have just found out this week that two grant requests that I submitted to the Pendleton Fund have been funded. One for $5,910 for my church, and one for $13,200 for a Christian school where I serve on the
board. I can honestly tell you that I would never have been able to do all the research on my own that I got from
your resources. God bless you, and please keep up the good work.
-- Jim Gawne
Phoenix
Dec. 5, 2001
Thank you for your time and efforts. I refer many people and organizations to your newsletter and web site.
-- Bob Irish
Bob Irish Consulting (Sedona)
Nov. 10, 2001
Thank you so much for creating Just Grants. You provide a wonderful service to everyone who is trying to make Arizona a better place to live.
The Guide and the website are superb, and your commitment to developing the best information resources is very much appreciated by me. People like you are what is desperately needed in the Social Services community. Kudos!
-- Renee Lee
Youth Programs Coordinator, Cochise County Workforce Development
Sep. 10, 2001
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!
What a fabulous tool you have created in "Just Grants Arizona." I really appreciate your making this tool available to us!
-- Lucy K. Bradley, Extension Agent
University of Arizona Cooperative Extension [Phoenix]
Jun. 27, 2001
Just wanted to take a moment to rave on Marilyn Boess and what her incredible efforts have brought to the grants community in Arizona. The Arizona Guide to Grants and Giving is the best Arizona resource I've seen and far superior to the efforts of previous local organizations. I look
forward to each edition of the Just Grants Arizona newsletter for the replay and list of local meetings, late-breaking news on foundations, and the
monthly checklist for grant due-dates. The new website is awesome and I've
already done several specific searches for new project, printing enough
information to keep me going for quite some time.
As if this isn't enough, I am so impressed by Marilyn's work that I have
signed up for her federal grant training course this month. Having local
access to this kind of information will save our organization hundreds of
dollars in travel expenses to receive the same instruction out-of-state.
This is a huge plus, saving both time and money!!!
Please relay my five-star review to Marilyn and tell her to keep up the good
work!
-- Patty Dean, Grant Writer
Childhelp USA National Headquarters
Mar. 28, 2001
Thank you ever so much for giving me the opportunity to attend your seminar without advance registration! You have given me great reason to hope that there are resources available to help people who are seriously mentally ill or are seriously disabled. I know what it is like to need help and not know were to go. I see our work touching so very many lives that to not be able to serve our community would be a great tragedy. Now it is time to put what I learned into practice for the people of Arizona who are the most vulnerable. Your work and professional classes are touching many lives. Thank you for giving me the tools to be successful in making a difference too.
-- Mary-Jean Palmer, Chairman of the Board
Council of Disability Advocates [Scottsdale]
Mar. 27, 2001
Marilyn Boess has been a tremedous boon to St. Andrew's Children's Clinic. Through her courses that I have taken I learned many techniques to improve my proposals. Today I rely a great deal on her Arizona Guide to Grants & Giving to find funding sources. I have also sent others from our organization to her courses and will continue to as long as she teaches.
-- The Rev. K.E. Gustafson, Executive Director
St. Andrew's Children's Clinic [Nogales]
Mar. 26, 2001
Marilyn's workshops and progressive grantsmanship services are of huge benefit to the Town of Florence's capacity to develop and implement
viable, sustainable community-economic development strategies. I've been in
the grantsmanship game over 7 years now, and her workshops are simply tops!
Her recent JGA service is dynamite, as are the various versions of the
Arizona Guide to Grants & Giving.
-- James Webb
Town of Florence
Mar. 26, 2001
The first tool I purchased when I started writing grant proposals was Arizona Guide to Grants & Giving. From that first copy in 1996, to the current edition, to the user-friendly website and e-newsletter, Marilyn Boess makes it nearly impossible to avoid successfully matching funders with the organizations that need them. The Grantsmanship Game, two-day workshop is a full-spectrum course that not only every want-to-be grant-proposal writer should take, but one that 'seasoned professionals' should retake periodically as a refresher course. . . . If you are
wise enough to take advantage of all the products and services [JUST GRANTS! Arizona] offers, you can't lose.
-- Kimberly Contreras Mosher
The Marketing Department [Phoenix]
Mar. 26, 2001
JUST GRANTS! Arizona Website
Just an FYI: this position [posted at the JUST GRANTS! Arizona website] has been filled. I was offered the job yesterday. I want to express to you my deep gratitude for your service. I probably would not have found this opportunity, were it not for you. My life is completely changing as a result, as I am moving across the country to take the job. May your efforts be fruitful beyond your wildest dreams.
-- Dana Salsbury
Sun Valley Lodge [Sun City]
Apr. 4, 2003
I am writing to thank you very much for including Project PPEP’s call for grantwriters on the JUST GRANTS! Arizona website. We have received 15+ inquiries, more than enough to get started on building a writer pool for this year.
-- Irena Levy
Project PPEP (Tucson)
Mar. 11, 2003
I've been writing grants for Arizona nonprofits for nearly 30 years
but connecting with new organizations who really needed my services
was typically the result of word-of-mouth serendipity. Since your
website and Consultant's Directory went active, I've received an
average of three requests per week. Thank you for building the bridge
between service providers and fundraising specialists that our
communities so desperately need!
-- Paulette Pohlmann
Independent Consultant
May. 11, 2001
Marilyn has created an effective tool for linking the nonprofit community.
Now, important information, grant opportunities and job postings can be
found in a convenient format. Thanks Marilyn.
-- Edmund Portnoy, Ph.D., Director of Grants Programs
Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust
Mar. 27, 2001
This easy to use website is remarkable for organizations of all sizes. What
is even more helpful, is Marilyn's desire to make the information easy to
use by offering quick links to many of the grant website address. I appreciate her dedication and support.
-- Julie Brooks, Executive Director
Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce
Mar. 26, 2001
Free Grants E-Newsletter
I got my first issue of your newsletter today and spent an hour and a half going through it. Thank you! This is about the most useful thing I have found yet.
-- Dr. Bill Gallagher, Director
Run Drugs Out of Town, Inc.
Dec. 20, 2001
I just discovered your (JUST GRANTS ARIZONA) newsletter, and what a blessing it is for someone just
starting out in this field. Thank you for compiling and sharing this
information.
-- Cuyler Reid
Oct. 10, 2001
I want to thank you for the info you send us. It has proven to be extremely valuable to AIDS non-profits agencies, who tend to be small in size and need many local resources to excel at the work they do.
-- Rita Shannon
Arizona Dept. of Health Services, Dept. of HIV/STDs and HCV
Oct. 4, 2001
I just wanted to take a minute and say thank you for the newsletter. We are a new nonprofit and your information has been so very helpful. I just wanted you to know that you are appreciated.
-- Barb Sharver, Director
Logan's Playground
Jun. 16, 2001
I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your periodic newsletter. Your insight and inclusive style (and your sense of humor) make my day. I appreciate your work. Thank you for all you do.
-- Stacey Gubser, Director
Governor's Division of Volunteerism
May. 15, 2001
Thank you so much for posting the full version of VisionMark's RFP announcement in your most recent e-mail newsletter. It has generated a
substantial response (more than from any other source in which announcements
were placed) -- it certainly shows your newsletter is getting read.
-- Edward Mercurio-Sakwa
VisionMark [Tucson]
Apr. 2, 2001
As a longtime Director of a statewide not-for-profit organization, I thought
I knew just about everything regarding administration and grant finding.
Having worked in public policy for twelve years and now ready to go back to non-profits, I began reading Marilyn Boess' computer missives. Boy, did I
ever need her help. I learned very quickly what a dynamic and fluid
profession this is -- and to have a skilled advisor just a few key clicks
away has been very comforting. My thanks to Marilyn for taking the
initiative and providing this valuable, even critical, service! I'm grateful!
-- Sam Campana, Chairman Emeritus
Arizonans for Cultural Development
Mar. 31, 2001
Arizona Guide to Grants & Giving
I am the Grants Collection Librarian at the Tucson Pima Public Library where I provide reference services, and teach and help people learn about grants. Arizona Guide to Grants and Giving is an indispensable source, developed with a good understanding of the types of information we need, and the importance of currency. In its latest incarnation on the Web, it should prove to be even more valuable.
-- Jean Lewis, Grants Collection Librarian
Tucson Pima Public Library
Mar. 29, 2001
Consistently, year after year, the Arizona Guide to Grants and Giving is the best resource (and value!) for Arizona grant seekers. Essential for all fundraising offices.
-- Deborah La Barbera, Associate Director of Development Research
Arizona State University
Mar. 28, 2001
I have been a grantseeker for 16 years, working for tribal government as
well as a variety of nonprofit organizations. I have worked with a number of resources in an attempt to identify potential funders for projects
ranging from substance abuse treatment to cultural preservation. The
Arizona Guide to Grants & Giving is among the best! The paper copy is always on my desk -- becoming tattered from use and tagged with notations as each year progresses. Now Marilyn has further distinguished herself by developing a most user-friendly website with some of the best informaton on grantseeking and funding in Arizona. I have long awaited a tool this convenient and informative! Now I have everything a grantseeker can possibly want.
-- Rita Marko
Phoenix
Mar. 27, 2001
As the City of Mesa's Grants Coordinator, and sometimes community grant coordinator, I have literally worn out my hard copy of the Arizona Guide to Grants & Giving each year before the new edition could be printed. Working with city and community collaboratives to identify potential funders who are familiar with
Arizona issues has just gotten a lot easier thanks to my new subscripiton on
line. In just two weeks I have performed searches for a ballet troup
non-profit, a group looking to fund a public day care center, and a therapeutic center at our new acquatics center. Each search produced between 10 and 50 potential funders for contact. What a wonder tool for those in the trenches charged with identifying funding options.
-- Jerry Dillehay
City of Mesa
Mar. 26, 2001
Workshops for Grantseekers
The presenter's energy, expertise and enthusiasm were contagious, enlightening, and infectious. I'm on a seriously restricted budget but felt I got excellent value for my money (which doesn't happen all that much).
-- Maryruth M. Monahan
Sun Sounds Radio for the Reading Impaired
May. 17, 2005
I'm so excited about all the info! I walked in knowing nothing and feel prepared to write/plan a successful grant. Thanks so much!
-- Jillian Asplund
Flagstaff Cultural Partners
May. 17, 2005
Informative -- examines the funder's view, which was great. I feel I am ready to do a proposal with positive results.
-- Jane Alex
Hopi Tribal Housing Authority
May. 17, 2005
It was such a gift and blessing to share these two days . . . Awesome! Life-changiing! We are now able to have more opportunities to make our dreams come true!
-- Dr. Karen Peters
The Petroglyphs at Partridge Creek
May. 17, 2005
This workshop was amazing. I . . . learned more about grantsmanship in this two-day workshop than I've learned in a full semester at NAU. The instructor was very experienced and knowledgeable. Worth every penny!
-- Lauren Ristig
Arts Management Student
May. 17, 2005
Just wanted to share some good news with you, and it's due, in large part, to the classes I took from [JUST GRANTS! Arizona]. I received word yesterday that a grant I had requested for our [church's] youth program was awarded. I had requested a grant for $10,000. To my surprise I was awarded a grant of $20,000! I have never heard of being awarded a grant for more than I requested. Obviously the conversations I had with my contact person, and the application narrative, must have been persuasive. I am now up to $72,000 in grant money that I have been able to secure. Thanks for the help you have given me!
-- Phil Petrasek
Lutheran Pastor (Tucson)
Dec. 4, 2003
I wish to say a very big THANK YOU [to JGA instructor Barbara Polston] for your outstanding instruction over the past six weeks (Grantsmanship Essentials Principles & Practice, Phoenix location). I have learned many practical and applied "real world" techniques. I enjoyed each of the six sessions to the extent that I'm actually disappointed that class is finished! I'm extremely motivated to seek grants on behalf of my client. Actually, let me rephrase that: To SUCCESSFULLY seek grants...thanks to your teaching!
I'd like to share an additional tidbit of information with you -- prior to discovering and subsequently registering for your six-week course, I found a 2-day seminar offered (in Phoenix) through grantwritingusa.com. I registered (and paid in full) for this course in advance.....and then I found your program. I thought to myself, "Well, I might as well attend both . . . and learn twice as much." HA! The cost of this program was $285.00 and imagine my shock and surprise when I discovered that there would be ------ NO WRITING involved! Excuse me, but how can one be a "grant writer" without writing? Let me state that those two days were two of the l-o-n-g-e-s-t days I've spent in a chair. Your program is structured, organized, professional, and has a real-world application. The other was one long "infomercial" and taught by a Robin Williams type of personality. Torture!
-- Leslie K. Linquist, MBA
Strategic Management Consultant
Oct. 29, 2003
In March I wrote an application for a grant from National CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) to support the local CASA's recruitment efforts. We had requested just under $80,000 over two years. I learned yesterday that the program was awarded a $60,000 grant! I am so thrilled, as are the CASA people. I used many of the tools you provide and incorporated many of the concepts you and your staff taught me. This is my first successful non-governmental grant application. Thanks for everything.
-- Karen Godzyk
Contracts & Grants Administrator for the Pima County Juvenile Court Center
May. 12, 2003
Thank you very much for a very informative and inspiring workshop
("Partnership Pays!"). Also, thanks for all you do for the grant seekers in the state. Your work is very valuable to us.
-- Debbie Anders
Tanque Verde Unified School District (Tucson)
Sep. 24, 2001
. . . The greatest investment we made was sending our new Development Director to your "Grantsmanship Game" workshop. She came back with some
great grantwriting skills, and lots of ideas. Keep up the great work.
-- Linda S. Wood
Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, Arizona Unit
Aug. 30, 2001
I want to share a quick story which validates the tools presented in your "Grantsmanship Game" workshop.
We operate a family-model home for pregnant teens and teen moms. I decided to use the workshop tools to form a letter to send to five of our primary supporters. The object was to raise cash for an August "family" vacation to San Diego, and for upcoming training that I wanted to attend. I was requested approximately $2,000.
Overall, $5,500 was raised from the five people we contacted. They all thought the letter was the most organized appeal they had received from a non-profit. To say the least, the letter was a grand success.
Thanks for the tools!
-- Kevin George
Compassion House (Phoenix)
Aug. 18, 2001
I just wanted to thank you for an excellent grantsmanship game workshop you conducted on July 17-18. As always, I am so impressed with your experience and your taking charge of the classes to teach basics and review fundamentals with the more experienced. It's a very valuable two days and at an affordable price. Thanks so much for setting up the website to complement your hard copy materials. You are setting the standard for Arizona grantseekers and grantmakers to follow! Congratulations!
-- Manny Cisneros
Centro de Amistad
Jul. 26, 2001
I wanted to take a moment to say "thank you" for the great workshop last week. I was energized and ready for action afterwards. Being new to the position of fund development, I appreciated your style - very clear and simple to understand. Again, thanks for sharing your knowledge.
-- Sheila McGinnis
Child and Family Resources [Tucson]
Jul. 25, 2001
Marilyn, I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful class. There was so much to absorb but you did it so well that the time flew by.
-- Judie Marini, R.N.
American Red Cross
Jul. 20, 2001
Marilyn - Thank you thank you thank you for a wonderful workshop! I came back to the office Thursday so energized and ready to "try" to write a grant. You are a wonderful and well organized presenter!
-- Sue Kaplan
Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence [Phoenix]
Jul. 20, 2001
I would like to say that I found your workshop to be very exciting and quite rewarding on many levels. The information I gleaned from you and others attending the workshop will assist Devereux and our Development department greatly.
-- Mindy Engel
Devereux [Tucson]
Jul. 20, 2001
I really enjoyed your workshop thoroughly. I have been to enough of these types of things, and you provided the clearest, most concise instructions and tools I have ever used.
-- Mary Lu Nunley
City of Phoenix
Jul. 19, 2001
UofA/JGA Grantsmanship Institute
Thank you for sharing your knowledge! I took your grantsmanship class last fall [Level 2, "Principles and Practice," with JGA instructor Sandra Simmons] and submitted my class project for funding after completing the grant application, abstract and budgets. Well, we just received notice that our project, 'Mujeres Saludables,' has been funded by the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Phoenix Affiliate, for 2003-2004!! What an exciting time for this novice writer. I am stunned, elated and somewhat taken aback. It's been a wonderful adventure, and I wanted you to know so that you can celebrate too. Thank you so much.
-- Carole Allen Weishaar
President, Desert Cancer Foundation of Arizona
Mar. 18, 2003
I dreaded coming as felt this wasn't my area -- thank you for making this such a fun, interesting and exciting area to be involved in. It was great!
-- Carolyn Oliver
Tucson
May. 6, 2002
Making the process real for me. I had zero experience with grants coming in to this class. Now I feel that I could make my way through without blood loss.
-- Terri Randall
Mesa
May. 2, 2002
Instructor [Marilyn Boess]is fabulous. (If I were a grantor and you asked for millions -- you'd get it.)
-- Joanne Tobin
Phoenix
May. 2, 2002
This course was very informative and opened my eyes to the complexity of seeking grants. I look forward to utilizing the information provided and attending future courses. The instructor was dynamic and her presentation exhibited her extensive knowledge and research of the subject.
-- Neva J. Willgrubs
Phoenix
Nov. 8, 2001
[Instructor] Marilyn Boess is fantastic. She knows her materials, keeps it moving, has a sense of humor and got me enthused. Her book is awesome -- well organized. I can't wait to utilize what I've learned [in Level 1] and expand on it.
-- Mary Jo Brothers
Phoenix
Nov. 8, 2001
I want to thank you so much for the wonderful instruction, forms and
encouragement that I have received from you! I don't believe there is
anywhere else that I could have received the quality of training that
I have at the Grantsmanship Institute [Level 2].
-- Marilyn Hill
Arizona Dept. of Commerce
Nov. 7, 2001
This [Level 2] was a great class. The specific tools -- the worksheets, the
timelines -- really provided a framework to hang the process on. I
wish everybody I work with could take this course.
-- Kim Fields
Pima County School Superintendent's Office [Tucson]
Nov. 6, 2001
This course [Level 2] took the fear factor out of grant writing and clearly
explained the details that grantmakers look for in a proposal. No "how to" book ever came close.
-- Vicki Snyder
White Mountain School of Applied Healing [Tucson]
Nov. 6, 2001
Individualized to my agency's needs; gave good planning tips for project management; wasn't overly complex. Instructor was wonderful at breaking things down into manageable bits.
-- Debbie Quinn
Direct Center for Independence [Tucson]
Nov. 6, 2001
{Level 1:] Good practical information -- obviously coming from real live experience -- made me want to take the in-depth class. She knew the answers to the questions we asked and gave even more info than we asked for.
-- Kathleen Everitt
Sep. 20, 2001
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